The altitude, hyper-alert driving, hiking and fresh air cause such exhaustion that by the end of my second week on the road, once I’ve sat down in my camping chair with a book in one hand and a cuppa in the other, I can’t recall the morning. I know I must have risen early and […]
Tag: storm
Where the heart is: Ouray, Colorado
It’s supposed to be monsoon season, but so far, there’s only been one rainstorm. I wake up to the wet, fresh air and pack. The tent’s fly is wet, so it sits at the back of my car, fanning, as I drive with my windows open. It’s early, so the drive is a dream, cruising […]
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
It’s early on Sunday. 6 am and already people are awake, tent poles click as camps are taken down; pick-up trucks rev their engines and drive away, pulling their boats to shore. It is going to be a busy day, but my unexpectedly long drive yesterday means that I’m close to Black Canyon of the […]
Campground hunting on a Colorado Saturday
Sometimes the road kicks my ass and I wonder if having a staycation wouldn’t be better. Things can get a little hectic, especially if it’s a sunny Saturday, fairs are going on, and I haven’t got a clue where I’m really going because I’m mostly making up the trip as I’m driving along, perching at […]
South Dakota’s Astounding Badlands…and Wall Drug
I can’t complain about the weather. Although there have been some storms, many of them have been timed perfectly – I’ve either been enjoying the slashing and tearing of the heavens from the safety of my car, or while I’ve been nestled into my cozy sleeping bag, my thirteen year-old tent doing a marvellous job […]
Adventure in the Black Hills and Custer State Park, South Dakota
I like driving as long as its not in the city: the roads in and around Custer State Park perfectly satisfy my amateur driving needs. The seventeen mile Iron Mountain Road runs from Keystone to Custer SP and is full of hairpin bends, horseshoe turns and tunnels carved through rock, which conveniently, and beautifully, frame […]
The Sacred Devil’s Tower
Seven young girls are playing outside when suddenly, spotting his dinner, a vicious bear starts sprinting towards them. Everyone knows it’s silly to try and outrun a bear! The girls find a rock on which they huddle, praying to the rock’s spirit, asking for protection. The rock does offer it. It grows taller and taller, […]
The Great ‘Bighorn Canyon’
On my way east I take route 14 (Alt) and stop in the little town to stock up on some fresh fruit and beer – just the necessities – and as I drive out of the town I notice a sign for a Visitor Centre for the Bighorn Canyon Recreation Area. I stop in. The […]